I finally connected to Napster at some point yesterday [after about 18 disconnections], & noticed the number of users was dramatically less than usual. I thought it was just my eyes deceiving me since I usually don't recall the exact total, anyhow.
But hey, if all else fails, I'll probably migrate to FTP. Sure, it takes longer to find a worthy download, but hey, the download speed makes up for it. I get a max of 5.13k/s on Napster, while my FTP client records it as around 9k/s.
Hehe, I posted a bit of that article in my Star Wars RPG group channel today.. Here's a short log:D
[15:43:16] `SyN`: An unnamed correspondent writes: "It's census night tomorrow in New Zealand, and an email is doing the rounds asking all Star Wars fans to enter their religion as JEDI:) -slashdot.. heh
[15:43:32] Aiee: Congratulations SyN!
[15:43:35] `SyN`: ??
[15:43:40] Aiee: you're #25 to notice that in here today =)
Hmm, looks like I'm not the only/. reader around..:P
Why have I seen so many Katz flames, today? I understand that many people aren't exactly avid readers of Katz's reviews [I'm not much of a fan myself], *but* there's hardly a thing on this review that can be flamed, besides its author. However, flaming the author would be pretty damn immature at this point, since all he did was state his opinion of a tv show. It's an opinion, remember?! I'm sure you have your own, but it's rather pointless to put Katz down for stating his. Last time I checked, the Internet still supported free speech. Let's not prove the government right in opposing it.
As for tv shows not being a good topic on/. - Why wouldn't they be? Television is technology, and tv shows are quite widely watched. I doubt there's a single one of you who doesn't get into discussions on tv shows once in a while online. Not to mention that in the latest/. poll, 996 people voted the tv was most important to them, and *many* others were considering it as an option [read the comments]. Besides, if a tv review was *really* so offtopic, don't you think the staff would've removed it immediately? In effect, it's not Katz you're flaming, it's Slashdot.. and this time, you don't have a good reason.
No one forced you to read the review. If you don't like the series, that's cool, it's an opinion and you have the right to state it. If you don't like Katz, that's cool too, but this review wasn't about him at all.
It really is a pity that Maximum Linux is closing down. Although I know the magazine receives bad reviews by many "hard core" Linux geeks, it isn't all that bad. In fact, I picked up a copy at the airport once, since I had nothing left to read, as I'd been planning to buy a copy of Linux at some point anyway.. I installed the cd that came with it, and it was the first time I was *successfully* able to get a running copy of Linux on my computer. It inspired me to keep at it, and I've learned a lot since. I haven't bought the magazine since then, but I also haven't found it anyplace, especially when I have money. It wasn't as hardcore of a magazine as many, but it was interesting enough to make up for it. A real pity. Excellent starting ground for people wanting to learn more about Linux.
"At my current job, age seems to be a major factor when it comes to listening to what I have to say and believing that what I say is true."
Yeah, age also seems to be a major factor of getting a job in the first place.. here, 16 is the legal working age, but the vast majority of places refuse to hire until 18. So how is it possible for a teen to gain experience in the first place if they can't get hired? Fry's Electronics, for one, is one of those places I assumed wouldn't be so prejudiced toward age.. until I tried to apply there. Sometimes it's understandable that a particular place might not want to hire someone younger due to materials that shouldn't be viewed.. but really, restocking shelves is something anyone could do.
Or you could give Homeworld or Half-Life a shot, depending on whether you'd prefer strategy or first-person shooters. Coming from a non-gamer, both are pretty addictive and wouldn't require too much pressure to convince people to play them, and both are very self-explanatory and easy to learn.
Actually, back to the former track, I do think there's a correlation between strategy games and general intelligence, as strategy games enhance the ability to think in a certain way, which, *if* employed, displays intelligence and raises the GPA. (:
Xenocide was definitely a prolonged and irrelevant story that could've been summed up in less than 500 pages. The storyline was rather dry, and I really don't see how it was necessary to involve the people of Path. I believe the only reason they were involved was for an unecessary change of scenery. I'm sure he could've come up with a better way to restore interest in the storyline.
Also, a friend & I noticed several discrepancies about the series. First, in Ender's Game, the Little Doctor was described as being an energy weapon, while in the final two books, it was described as a missile. Then, at the end of Ender's Game, it stated that the Speaker for the Dead 'religion' was the only religion on the inhabited worlds beyond that point. Suddenly we have the religion of the people of Path, the Christians[?] on Lusitania, and the religion of the 'islanders'.
Finally, I must say, Children of the Mind wasn't too bad. It did seem rather forced, trying to fit in so much action, but it worked. However, the concept of rehashing the original story from the eyes of other characters is *not* necessary. I'd really rather see a book on what went on in the 3 thousand years between Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead. The storyline is getting to be much too redundant, even from another character's point of view.
Oh come on, what does it have to do with personal gain? They chose to remain anonymous, so it can't have anything to do with money or fame.:P Just an innocent prank, most likely meant to amuse. I just want to know how they built the thing, and then how they dragged it out into a park & then a lake without anyone noticing.. *picturing the monolith being loaded onto a pickup truck driving down the freeway* *blink* I do wonder, though, how Clarke feels about it. Personally, I'd be flattered & amused in his situation.
Even if it wasn't done by the same people [which I believe it was.. I just can't see someone dragging the thing out into a lake without people noticing, anyhow], the idea wasn't original, as it was stolen from the movie 2001.:P
other than the cool government issued laptop.. i dont see what the big deal abou this kid is.
That's the whole point, there is no 'big deal' about this kid. He's an example of the average geek, no more, no less. The whole purpose was to focus on someone besides celebrities, in other words, someone there's no reason to make a 'big deal' about.
antisociality and fun with computers arnt the only things that define a geek.
That is accurate. But how *do* you define 'geek'? It's a social label, so of course it's defined differently by geeks than by the so-called 'normal' crowd. In this case, it looks to me like Clinton's an example of the 'normal' social definition of a geek, although I can certainly see how he'd fit the geeks' average description as well, being a programmer & Linux user.
Although, being a female geek myself, I'd have to admit that'd be an interesting idea for the next interview, to interview a female geek. (:
I'd definitely have to agree with Jethro. That isn't a whole lot of free time [On school days, I've usually got 7-8 hours of free time - weekends, I've got the entire day]. I don't think I've ever been desperate for a boyfriend, but now that I've got one, I treasure my free time a whole lot more. He's a geek as well, and we both realize how valuable free time is, but even that doesn't affect the decrease in free time. I still devote at least two days of the average week to him, and we both once in a while end up making excuses to stay apart. You don't realize what you enjoyed doing until you lack the time to do it any longer.
However, sometimes it's extremely nice to have someone to turn to when you're tired of the usual routine, or when you just need to get your mind of everything else. It doesn't hurt to get out of the house, as long as you can manage your time.:P Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? That all depends on the people involved.
I think that part about wanting to go to college somewhat surprised me.. It may not look like much, but of all my fellow high school students which I've talked to, far over half don't even know what they want to do with their lives, even in a future as immediate as what comes after these 4 years. It's really sad that so many students are failing the national standards tests that are currently being taken, which can cause colleges to refuse the students, if they choose to apply at all. I know too many 20 year olds who are still living with their parents because they were too lazy to do any work after their years of 'partying' in high school. I'm really glad to see that some people still have some sense.
One of the reasons this gets to me is because my home state Arizona actually has one of the lowest literacy rates in the USA, most likely because we get so many Mexican high school students, being right by the border. Instead of elevating the standards for the Mexicans, the standards for everyone else here are lowered, which is the reason we fail all the national standards tests. The AIMS test for one, over 50% of students failed the math section, & I believe 75% failed the reading/writing. It's not impossible to pass these tests, some people just need to work harder at it. This would be easily accomplished if they could just realize how important college is, like Clinton does. We already average as one of the stupidest nations in the world. [Sorry, I can't think of a nice way to put that]
I know that in most states it's illegal to work until you're 16, but do you/have you had a job? If so, what? I'm only 15 myself, but last summer I was hired by the high school district to network all the new computers just shipped, as well as help with network administration. If you haven't had a job yet, what would be your dream job *right now*? [Not as a full-time career, just as a temporary job.]
Ah, so you *are* one of the UnrealIRCD coders? I recall seeing your sn in the credits. I completely agree with combining regular life and 'geek life,' as I learned that just this year, & it really is a lot less lonely. Um, just so this isn't offtopic, my multipart question for the 'regular/. reading geek' is: Do you like Star Trek? If so, which series is your favorite, and why?
Napster doesn't need advertising in the first place. In fact, it's the major corporations and artists they're being sued by, which actually advertise for Napster. After all, can you name any magazines/newspapers in which there *hasn't* been an article about the latest Napster lawsuit? Most of 'em include descriptions of the software as well, so hey, who needs irritating ad banners anymore? Just get sued! (:
One excellent book that touches on this is "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson. I don't believe one causes the other, but I do believe there are some parallels that can be drawn between hackers and mysticism. First of all, the open mind and reasoning ability. Hackers tend to analyze situations, religion included, and draw their own conclusions from it. They see the illogical easily and review other religions. For many reasons, neo-Pagan religions tend to contain more logic than good old Christianity, since they're mostly "go-out-and-do-it" religions, as opposed to "blind faith". Especially since much neo-Paganism is formed on the belief of not shoving their beliefs down others' throats, like most other religions do tend to do. Although, from my experience, most hackers and programmers tend to lean towards agnosticism and/or atheism, this stems from the same ideas, as well. I've always found it extremely interesting.. but with the teenage hackers from Christian families, I'd just love to know how their parents react to their beliefs/open-mindedness./:
.. but whatever happened to rocket science? Either it's no longer necessary or those commercial attempts are being attempted by some really smart humans.
On another track, I'm a little confused as to exactly how far this man is planning on making it into 'space'. Is he trying to surpass the Earth's atmosphere in a homemade rocket? Or is it not as extreme as it seemed the first time I read the article? Because that sure seemed to be the implication, and I couldn't believe it wasn't fiction, heh.
Yes, I know it's already been answered, but I wanted to throw my 2 cents in, since I'm a native German.:P 'Ueber' would be the correct english way of spelling it.
On that other thought.. A Lego camera might be an interesting concept, but you'd probably have to superglue the Lego pieces together so the camera wouldn't fall apart. (: Kind of tacky though.. wonder how much it could be sold for on eBay..
I'd think that using zip or jaz disks in place of CDR's in cameras would be a much better idea, and most likely would enable the camera itself to be smaller in size. So why haven't they done it yet? If they have.. Where the hell can I get one?!:P
I wonder.. Will this topic never die? Napster has been sued, and all that can be done is banning the users. However, that doesn't stop them for long, but what really would? Shutting Napster down. However, that would be useless too, since those users could just use other servers of the sort, I can think of two, though the names escape me. Or simply resort to IRC and FTP.
Now, suppose they were to do that.. suppose they were to shut down each and ever existing file transfer server.. The fact remains that, mp3s are *not* necessarily illegal, and new programs to create and transfer them can be re-created at any given time. This whole debate is completely useless. Just let Napster be.
I've been wondering about something else.. Isn't music all about making fans happy, and having fun making the music? Correct me if I'm wrong, or don't, since this is purely a matter of opinion, but isn't it starting to seem like it's all about the money? Otherwise I see no purpose in suing Napster. The music industry has too much money as it is. The doctors and teachers are the ones who really need it. I just don't understand the reasoning here..
Slashdot Mirror
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[15:43:16] `SyN`: An unnamed correspondent writes: "It's census night tomorrow in New Zealand, and an email is doing the rounds asking all Star Wars fans to enter their religion as JEDI :) -slashdot .. heh
[15:43:32] Aiee: Congratulations SyN!
[15:43:35] `SyN`: ??
[15:43:40] Aiee: you're #25 to notice that in here today =)
Hmm, looks like I'm not the only /. reader around .. :P
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As for tv shows not being a good topic on /. - Why wouldn't they be? Television is technology, and tv shows are quite widely watched. I doubt there's a single one of you who doesn't get into discussions on tv shows once in a while online. Not to mention that in the latest /. poll, 996 people voted the tv was most important to them, and *many* others were considering it as an option [read the comments]. Besides, if a tv review was *really* so offtopic, don't you think the staff would've removed it immediately? In effect, it's not Katz you're flaming, it's Slashdot .. and this time, you don't have a good reason.
No one forced you to read the review. If you don't like the series, that's cool, it's an opinion and you have the right to state it. If you don't like Katz, that's cool too, but this review wasn't about him at all.
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Makes me want to call one of those psychic hotlines always advertised on tv, see if *they* know. :P
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Yeah, age also seems to be a major factor of getting a job in the first place .. here, 16 is the legal working age, but the vast majority of places refuse to hire until 18. So how is it possible for a teen to gain experience in the first place if they can't get hired? Fry's Electronics, for one, is one of those places I assumed wouldn't be so prejudiced toward age .. until I tried to apply there. Sometimes it's understandable that a particular place might not want to hire someone younger due to materials that shouldn't be viewed .. but really, restocking shelves is something anyone could do.
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Actually, back to the former track, I do think there's a correlation between strategy games and general intelligence, as strategy games enhance the ability to think in a certain way, which, *if* employed, displays intelligence and raises the GPA. (:
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Also, a friend & I noticed several discrepancies about the series. First, in Ender's Game, the Little Doctor was described as being an energy weapon, while in the final two books, it was described as a missile. Then, at the end of Ender's Game, it stated that the Speaker for the Dead 'religion' was the only religion on the inhabited worlds beyond that point. Suddenly we have the religion of the people of Path, the Christians[?] on Lusitania, and the religion of the 'islanders'.
Finally, I must say, Children of the Mind wasn't too bad. It did seem rather forced, trying to fit in so much action, but it worked. However, the concept of rehashing the original story from the eyes of other characters is *not* necessary. I'd really rather see a book on what went on in the 3 thousand years between Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead. The storyline is getting to be much too redundant, even from another character's point of view.
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That's the whole point, there is no 'big deal' about this kid. He's an example of the average geek, no more, no less. The whole purpose was to focus on someone besides celebrities, in other words, someone there's no reason to make a 'big deal' about.
antisociality and fun with computers arnt the only things that define a geek.
That is accurate. But how *do* you define 'geek'? It's a social label, so of course it's defined differently by geeks than by the so-called 'normal' crowd. In this case, it looks to me like Clinton's an example of the 'normal' social definition of a geek, although I can certainly see how he'd fit the geeks' average description as well, being a programmer & Linux user.
Although, being a female geek myself, I'd have to admit that'd be an interesting idea for the next interview, to interview a female geek. (:
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However, sometimes it's extremely nice to have someone to turn to when you're tired of the usual routine, or when you just need to get your mind of everything else. It doesn't hurt to get out of the house, as long as you can manage your time. :P Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? That all depends on the people involved.
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One of the reasons this gets to me is because my home state Arizona actually has one of the lowest literacy rates in the USA, most likely because we get so many Mexican high school students, being right by the border. Instead of elevating the standards for the Mexicans, the standards for everyone else here are lowered, which is the reason we fail all the national standards tests. The AIMS test for one, over 50% of students failed the math section, & I believe 75% failed the reading/writing. It's not impossible to pass these tests, some people just need to work harder at it. This would be easily accomplished if they could just realize how important college is, like Clinton does. We already average as one of the stupidest nations in the world. [Sorry, I can't think of a nice way to put that]
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One excellent book that touches on this is "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson. I don't believe one causes the other, but I do believe there are some parallels that can be drawn between hackers and mysticism. First of all, the open mind and reasoning ability. Hackers tend to analyze situations, religion included, and draw their own conclusions from it. They see the illogical easily and review other religions. For many reasons, neo-Pagan religions tend to contain more logic than good old Christianity, since they're mostly "go-out-and-do-it" religions, as opposed to "blind faith". Especially since much neo-Paganism is formed on the belief of not shoving their beliefs down others' throats, like most other religions do tend to do. Although, from my experience, most hackers and programmers tend to lean towards agnosticism and/or atheism, this stems from the same ideas, as well. I've always found it extremely interesting .. but with the teenage hackers from Christian families, I'd just love to know how their parents react to their beliefs/open-mindedness. /:
On another track, I'm a little confused as to exactly how far this man is planning on making it into 'space'. Is he trying to surpass the Earth's atmosphere in a homemade rocket? Or is it not as extreme as it seemed the first time I read the article? Because that sure seemed to be the implication, and I couldn't believe it wasn't fiction, heh.
On that other thought .. A Lego camera might be an interesting concept, but you'd probably have to superglue the Lego pieces together so the camera wouldn't fall apart. (: Kind of tacky though .. wonder how much it could be sold for on eBay ..
I'd think that using zip or jaz disks in place of CDR's in cameras would be a much better idea, and most likely would enable the camera itself to be smaller in size. So why haven't they done it yet? If they have .. Where the hell can I get one?! :P
Now, suppose they were to do that .. suppose they were to shut down each and ever existing file transfer server .. The fact remains that, mp3s are *not* necessarily illegal, and new programs to create and transfer them can be re-created at any given time. This whole debate is completely useless. Just let Napster be.
I've been wondering about something else .. Isn't music all about making fans happy, and having fun making the music? Correct me if I'm wrong, or don't, since this is purely a matter of opinion, but isn't it starting to seem like it's all about the money? Otherwise I see no purpose in suing Napster. The music industry has too much money as it is. The doctors and teachers are the ones who really need it. I just don't understand the reasoning here ..